client success stories

Optimizing SCADA systems for High-Reliability Electricity Transmission and Distribution

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Industry:

Energy, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing

Project Type:

End-to-end solution implementation and testing

Challenge
Adjusting for different vendors and new protocols

 

As the power system deals with power generation, transmission, and distribution sectors, monitoring it all is essential. Thus, implementing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) improves the overall efficiency of the system optimizing, supervising, and controlling the generation and transmission systems.

However, our client’s expanding customer base led to a significant increase in equipment from different vendors used in the field, as well as a growth in the number of industrial protocols. A conducted analysis showed that the number of SCADA-related defects had increased due to low coverage of protocols.

SCADA is a highly complex core system that controls the distribution network, both monitoring its status and adjusting parameters when needed. Our client needed to integrate a SCADA simulator that supports 23 industrial protocols, including Modbus, DNP3, IEC60870-5-101/104, EWISP, EWISP+, OPC, and others in order to ultimately allow for smooth SCADA integration for customers.

Approach
The right experts for the job

 

Our team has been involved in develop ing SCADA systems, which are part of Distribution Management Systems (DMSs), for top-ranked vendors in power, oil and gas, and electricity distribution. Thus, Zoreza Global was able to provide experts that have business knowledge combined with deep industry expertise with a number of SCADA systems, including: MicroSCADA by ABB, DS Agile by Alstom, Ovation by Emerson, E-terraPlatform by Areva, TraceMode by Adastra, Genesis32 by Iconics, IGSS by 7-Technologies and Simatic WinCC by Siemens.

Zoreza Global’s expertise in system integration and cloud migration also gave us an edge. While our team includes specialists in SCADA itself, we also have individuals who specialize in related services, such as developing a technical solution to simplify SCADA system integration, enabling other applications to consume SCADA data, and making sure interactions with such data are secure.

Solution
Developing top-tier SCADA systems

 

SCADA development activities included all components of modern SCADA systems, such as:

  • Implementation of communication protocols: Realization of new protocols, and the support and improvement of existing protocols for the communication of SCADA software with third-party RTU devices
  • Real-time database: Supported and improved RT API on Linux, providing a fast in-memory database for storing data from all measured signals, including electrical equipment, control devices, and remote stations
  • Advanced GUI: Implemented new and improved existing features for our Windows-based client. Areas covered include SCADA-related configurational tools, apps for design of automation programs, and a wide range of tools for daily automation
  • Real-time data acquisition, calculation and data processing engine: Support and improvement of the existing engine, which performs data analysis and processing in real time
  • Historical data access: Support and improvement of existing API for accessing different databases with historical data (Cassandra, OSI, PI, etc.)
  • DMS: Integration of real-time SCADA measurements into an advanced DMS system

Our team developed and integrated a sophisticated SCADA testing solution into the client’s infrastructure, including:

  • Manual activities

We covered the most common user cases with the well-known industry simulator (TMW). Our solution includes test plans and test strategies for DNP3, IEC101, and IEC104 protocols, covering the initialization of end stations, data exchange for digital and analog points, and digital and analog controls with integer and floating-point values. The testing setup for all cases is automatically created using self-designed Python scripts.

  • Automatic testing framework

We integrated the TMW simulator into our client’s existing testing framework, including the simulator API and a self-designed Remote Interface application for remote execution of the above-mentioned scenarios.

Result
Improving revenue and SCADA system stability

 

Our solution delivered the following benefits:

  • Increased SCADA product revenue: From our client’s existing customers and new customers
  • Improved efficiency: The system requires minimum attention from engineers and handles power grid issues automatically
  • System stability: Offers SCADA system stability, including uninterrupted work of the power grid and taking the minimum amount of time to resolve outages
  • Time-to-market: Our client can now offer and easily implement SCADA software for its customers, as it now supports more protocols
  • The auto tests’ coverage of the most common communication processes gives the customer the ability to significantly decrease the number of SCADA-related defects in new releases of the DMS product